Opening up
by Titanic-fanatic
Summary: Donna is exploring the Tardis and comes across a new door. Its a new door for her but for the Doctor it's a painful reminder of what once was. What will happen when the Doctor catches Donna in there? Rose/Ten fluff with some angsty regret and remorse


**Opening up**

Donna Noble meandered happily through the Tardis, a skip in her step as she explored this impossible ship further having now abandoned her 1920's attire and settled for something more comfortable - jeans and a t-shirt. She strode passed a series of doors, all labeled and seemingly uninteresting - Infirmary, Television room, Library. They'd been discovered, that's what took the fun out of them. Ever since she'd met the Doctor, Donna had found herself striving for more excitement and knowledge with every new burst she received. Spaceman was having an affect on her but she was okay with it - for the moment at least. The minute she starts rambling in verbose limericks and pushing the health benefits of bananas Donna had decided her and that skinny streak of alien nothing would be having words.

Suddenly Donna felt a cold air whip around her. She paused, shivering for a second. An unmarked door captivated her attention, now fingering the grain of the wood she let her hand drop to the golden handle and grasped it tightly. Donna felt the metallic sound of the handle being turned resonate around her, provoking her intrigue further. She stepped delicately through the threshold of the space, eyes wide in anticipation the scent of vanilla and lavender fabric softener relayed to her nose. Her static eyebrows dropped in consideration as she proceeded into the room.

It was not some outer-worldly experience or sight, in fact it was a hefty slice of planet earth slap bang in the middle of the Tardis. A bedroom. A perfectly ordinary, not futuristic or extra ordinary in any manner bedroom adorned with a few articles of clothing dotted around and a magazine abandoned on the unmade bed. Dresser, mirror, another door leading to a bathroom - Donna speculated - and two lights attached to the wall, either side of the bed. It was bizarre.

Her mind spurred off a million and one conclusions - dismissing that this was the Doctor's room the instant she spied a red lace bra protruding carelessly from one of the dresser drawers. Donna revisited the idea after a few seconds, chuckling under her breath at the thought of the Doctor even holding said piece of underwear let alone wearing it himself. Her laughter however was subdued as she looked above the offending article and to the make-up and perfume bottle embellished top of the furniture. A photo of two smiling people beamed at her invitingly. The red head felt herself being gravitated to the item and cautiously moved toward it, taking the wooden frame in her grasp and holding it delicately.

A blonde girl was smiling upwards to the camera presumably, whilst a familiar brown suited friend grinned in the same direction, resulting in the pair smirking at Donna. She in response couldn't help but smile back, trying to decipher where they were, it seemed like some form of...

"Donna?" a Time Lord called merrily.

Before Donna could even move he was in the room with her, face riddled with confusion and anger.

"What are you doing in here?" the Doctor questioned harshly, standing in the wake of the exit.

"I was just" she began, bewildered by the dark glimmer in the Doctor's gaze as she turned to face him. Her face fell.

"What?" he interrupted coldly, chest trembling quietly as he felt mounting tension circulate his jaw.

"I was looking round the Tardis and this door just appeared and" Donna rambled, still holding the picture frame.

"Never come in here Donna. And next time you're _just wandering_ _around the Tardis_ ask me before you go into a room!" he retorted, mid sentence once more.

"I thought you said I could go anywhere in here?" she persisted "and who is this anyway?"

"None of your business Donna now just get out!" he raged, raising his voice.

Donna stared at him for a moment, placing the frame back in its place before quietly walking passed the Doctor, leaving him alone. Because that was what he wanted to be - alone. But he'd said he didn't _want _that.

Donna felt her eyes burning as she passed him, becoming slightly more frustrated as she exited the room. Normally she would shout her soul out but something was holding her back. It must have been this traveling malarkey _"I've changed" _she pondered her footsteps slowing as they echoed in her wake. Donna considered the Doctor's tone of voice, his expression, everything she had just seen. She sighed. Never has she seen him so...hurt. Donna paused, gritting her teeth together and dismissing the fact that she was also enraged by the Doctor's sudden burst of 'I'm the superior lifeform on this ship' sentiment walked back along the Tardis corridor drudgingly.

She stopped suddenly, unsure as to why, ears pricking up at the sound of footsteps. They were soft and tentative followed by the sound of a door snapping out of its mechanism. Donna turned on the spot, meandering back to the room she'd been exiled from as curiosity captivated her common sense.

Peering through the still open door Donna's burning green eyes softened. The Doctor was sat on the bed, smoothing the quilt dubiously, rhythmically. He seemed to be somewhere else - calm and at peace. She bit her lip, observing as his head rose up, studying the room.

The Doctor was silent, solemn and sincere but his stone face was beginning to crumble before her. Donna stared intently, clasping onto the doorframe tightly as he exhaled a defeated breath of air. With that he moved, placing his elbows on his knees and running his hands thoughtfully through his head of brown hair, neck stooped down. Suddenly his sober eyes lifted themselves from the ground to stare at the photo. It was a considered stare that lasted minutes until finally he reached out for the photograph. Turbulent brown eyes fixated themselves to the image, becoming swollen with tears as those smiling faces persistently beamed back.

Donna couldn't help it, she moved into the room, hitching her breath in her throat.

"Were you and her?" Donna questioned tenderly, entering cautiously, as though walking on eggshells. His eyes flickered upwards instantly.

"No" he replied croakily - a little too quickly for her liking as he spun his head to Donna. She fished deeper into his eyes as she approached, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him.

The silence was tranquil, relaxed. She relaxed, feeling the Doctor's heavy eyes rest on hers.

"But you wish you were?" Donna pursued delicately, eyebrows risen slightly.

The Doctor didn't reply but simply diverted his attentions back to the photo.

"She was mine and she didn't tell me until it was too late" he whispered, touching the girl's face "My Rose" he ended.

Donna felt as the information sink into her mind and click into place, her mouth opened as though to speak but she was interrupted by his melancholy voice "The last time I saw her...I managed to project my image into a parallel world. I couldn't even hold her while she cried in front of me. I had to tell her I'd never be able to see her again...then she told me, she told me she loved me."

Guilt overwhelmed Donna at even having been angry with the Doctor. The friend he'd 'lost'... she was in love with him and it was pretty apparent the feeling was mutual at the sadness seeping through the Time Lord's voice.

"I died that day Donna, I didn't get to say it back, I just disappeared out of her life" he concluded, placing the photo back in its place.

"Can't you go back?" Donna questioned slowly, furrowing her brow "Or, or go back in time before it happened and then stop you loosing her or something?"

The Doctor shook his head "Two universes would collapse"

"So?" the red head remarked.

Donna wasn't sure why he sniffed a laughed, lips twitching into a momentary smile before relaxing and so just took his word for it, obviously there was something she was missing but didn't think to press for further details before the Doctor opened his mouth once more.

"I can't cross my own time line...and besides, you may not have met me at all" he continued, looking up to Donna.

"That's not important" she observed, her green eyes flickering softly with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Really?" the Doctor continued, contorting his brow, he seemed genuinely intrigued.

"_Trust spaceman to not get it" _she noted mentally before taking his hand gently "Really" she sincerely confirmed, patting his warm comfortingly. Love was more precious than anything after all and if it meant that Doctor was happy, sure Donna would give all this up. He needed a friend but she recognized that Rose was more than that, much more.

The Doctor's eyes met Donna's, the turbulence she'd witnessed earlier had been replaced with that familiar sparkle "I mean I did survive up until I met you...it's not like I'm completely incapable" she added, keeping the same tone but adding a hint of sarcasm.

The Time Lord chuckled "Says you"

"If you weren't moping, I'd slap you right now" Donna returned quickly, squeezing his hand before letting it go.

"You know you have changed Donna, still brilliant mind" the Doctor studied, eyes wandering over her.

"Oh shut up you sentimental spacecase" she smirked, smacking him on the arm teasingly. He shot her a scornful look but it melted away to a grin within moments.

"Was Rose brilliant?" Donna asked quietly, maintaining the Time Lord's gaze.

The Doctor stalled for a split second, but felt a warmth spread through his hearts "Yup" he confirmed, taking in the scent of the room before standing. Donna saw his friendly gaze absorb his shaking voice "Come on then" he beamed "How does Barcelona sound?"

"The city?" Donna returned as she got up, a little unimpressed - the whole of time and space and he was suggesting a package holiday hotspot "What's so amazing in Barcelona?"

"Dogs with no noses, that's what" the Doctor informed, holding the door open for his friend to exit the room "And I meant the planet Barcelona before you chastise me" he added.

Donna shot him a green glare as she halted in the doorway.

"Firstly I do not chastise" she began "secondly...there is a planet called Barcelona?" her eyes lighting up.

The Doctor shot her a smirk, nodding as she ran off rattling on about getting some flip flops or something. He just heard her voice fizzle into laughter as it disappeared into the Tardis.

The Time Lord looked back into the room with a soft smile, he stepped in quietly, eyes meandering over the remnants of his life with Rose. Melancholy morphed his expression as knelt down, picking up a discarded t-shirt from the ground. He inhaled the scent of his former companion, as the soft cotton soothed a silent tear that escaped his eyes.

"Come on Doctor, I am ready for Barcelona!" Donna's voice sung from the bridge.

This broke the Doctor's concentration, prompting him to fold the garment and place it on the edge of the bed "I'm coming now, keep your hair on!" he called back, earning a scoff from Donna as he rushed out of the room. As he reached the door frame the Doctor took a second to stare back, leaning against it thoughtfully before closing the door carefully. His smile returned as he made his way down the corridor realizing that some doors need opening up every once in a while just to realize how precious the past was.


End file.
